Man sentenced for near-fatal beating

San Diego  One of the two men charged in the brutal beating of a student nearly two years ago when he was visiting the College Area was sentenced Thursday to 22 years, eight months to life in prison.

David Daniel White, 22, pleaded guilty last month to premeditated attempted murder, assault with force likely to cause great bodily injury, and other felony charges in connection with a 12-hour crime spree that began Dec. 27, 2011.

White and a co-defendant, Terrence Jarvis, were accused of causing serious injuries to then-18-year-old Grant Richman of Northridge.

Richman’s parents attended the sentencing hearing Thursday in San Diego Superior Court. Outside the courtroom, they explained that their son has returned to classes full-time at the University of California Berkeley and is moving forward with his life.

That he’s recovered so well is extraordinary given the injuries he suffered. His attackers beat him in the head repeatedly with a double-barreled shotgun. Early on, it seemed doubtful that he would survive.

But he did, and he worked hard on his recovery.

“It is a miracle,” said Peter Richman, acknowledging the challenges his son has endured. “He has some minor problems but he’s overcoming them very well,”

Both parents said they were satisfied with the sentence White received.

“I feel confident he’ll never be on the streets again,” Marie Richman said.

On Dec. 28, 2011, her son went to visit a friend in San Diego. Just minutes after he parked his car on Antioch Place off Adams Avenue, he was approached from behind and struck with the shotgun.

White and Jarvis were arrested a few days later. White, who acted as his own attorney, also pleaded guilty to robbery, attempted robbery and shooting at an inhabited structure — a house in Emerald Hills where a 65-year-old woman was sleeping.

He admitted guilt in two other incidents that took place after his arrest: one involving an attack on a jail deputy, and another involving possession of a shank.

Deputy District Attorney Christopher Lawson has said that Jarvis is believed to have had the shotgun at the time of the beating, while White was the driver.

Jarvis, who faces several felony charges including attempted murder, is expected to go to trial next month in front of Judge Jeffrey Fraser, the same judge who sentenced White. Jarvis is acting as his own attorney.